In the Name of Love

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.86 (21 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Olivia Lamasan

Writers: Enrico Santos, Olivia Lamasan

Cast: Aga Muhlach, Angel Locsin, Jake Cuenca

Synopsis: With barely anything to live for, Emman Toledo (Aga Muhlach), a former dancer, is just about to start his life all over again. He holds the good memories of his past dearly, knowing he will never be able to bring back his better days. An unlikely opportunity comes up when he is assigned to be the dance instructor for the upcoming Governor’s Ball of the powerful political family of the Evelinos, a chance for him to rekindle his lost passion.

*

Trailer:

Reviews:

4.5 Reel Advice

“In the Name of Love defies all odds as it presents the viewers a style rarely seen in local cinemas and a veteran actor who decided to just carry the whole film in his shoulders.” (Read full review)

“The plot is presented in a non-linear way, which really helps in gradually revealing crucial information needed for dramatic effect later on. It is perhaps because of this kind of story telling that the movie effectively distances itself from previous Star Cinema offerings.” (Read full review)

3.5 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)

” It’s a very tightly woven plot written by Lamasan and Enrico Santos. A box office hit with too much crying and bad choreography, this movie nonetheless belongs to Aga Muhlach: plainly proving that he is still a viable leading man—simpatico, easy to watch, and looking better than ever in his forties.” (Read full review)

3.5 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)

“There is a punctilious attention to detail in piecing together a non-linear narrative, a tack that renders Olivia Lamasan’s In The Name of Love ample cinematic meat to chew on.” (Read full review)

3.5 Nel Costales (The Persistence of Vision)

“With this film, Lamasan and Santos clearly shows why they are Star Cinema’s top script/creative consultants. It is hard to get an audience to empathize with movie characters but they did it with flourish. This film may end up as one of the best mainstream movies of the year.” (Read full review)

3.5 Nicol Latayan (Back to the Frying Pan)

“Lamasan’s direction is good. Testament to this is that even though there were scenes were there were no lines, and no musical score on the background, the feeling that she wants you to convey is translated to the audience. She also brought out the best in her actors.” (Read full review)

3.0 Julia Allende (PEP)

“But lest I get lost in the appreciation of the acting of the cast, the film, in an effort to bring something new to the audience, suffers from a convolution of events that made it difficult to get out of.” (Read full review)

3.0 MYC4971 (Yahoo user)

“It was a great material and for the first time in years, Aga Muhlach has actually turned in a great delectable performance! And this is the first time that I’ve actually seen acting chops from Angel Locsin! But all of it went to waste just because of the last (and lousiest) 15 minutes of the movie.” (Read full review)

2.5 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“The film gains cumulative power as it combines to compelling effect the dynamics of intimate drama with the social aspects of its protagonists’ convoluted tale. Unfortunately, its thematic grit and narrative impact are drastically diminished as it winds down to its bloated, predictable finale.” (Read full review)

2.5 Jowanna Bueser (The Birth of Damnation)

“At best, the first team-up of Aga Mulach and Angel Locsin is a bold approach to the usual romantic flick; tackling big-ticket issues such as international money laundering and warlordism in the local political landscape. At worst, it is a disjointed effort and a poor attempt at injecting social issues to cover the truth that, for all intents and purposes, it is a run-of-the-mill formula movie.” (Read full review)

2.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“This is the real danger of the mainstream mechanism. The studio insists on a particular marketable style, despite the fact that the story might benefit from something different. This plot really needed a sense of realism to ground the crime and political aspects of the story. The glossy treatment makes everything feel ridiculous.” (Read full review)

1.5 Oggs Cruz (Twitch Film)

“Finally, in the name of escapism and sure returns, Star Cinema, the film’s producer which is arguably the Philippines’ most commercially successful movie studio, maintains the silliest and stupidest of traditions. Their movies (with the exception of their horror films which end with cliffhangers) are riddled with unnecessarily happy conclusions, making it seem that life, despite its gargantuan problems and unexpected tragic turns, are but fairy tales with predictable endings.” (Read full review)

1.5 Katrina Stuart Santiago (GMA News)

“No, this isn’t about issues in the headlines. It’s about having a romance with these headlines, using them to make a love story so complex, and then doing an injustice to the people these headlines represent by forcing a happily ever after. ” (Read full review)

1.5 Carl Papa (Whatever, Carl)

“The first half of the movie was not that bad. It was still formulaic, but it was good at telling the story.” (Read full review)

1.0 Richard Bolisay (Lilok Pelikula)

“The attempt at social relevance does not hold water, the confrontations are hilariously staged, the lines are unbearable (“Hindi kita iniwan. Mas pinili ko lang mamatay para mabuhay ka!”), the music is ugly, and to top it off, Olivia Lamasan does not know how straight people make love (or have sex).” (Read full review)

Capsules:

3.0 Archie del Mundo (Pinoy Film Buffs)

“First, let me speak of Aga Muhlach’s performance. I thought I was being cheated with the way the lines are being delivered during the ‘reveal’ scene. This is not the Aga Muhlach of yore, who mumbles between whimpers. Who carefully phrases his dialogue for tact and clarity. This is a different actor now. Who stays true to what the character actually feels at the moment. Who chooses honesty over ‘technique’. This is ten times better than the Aga Muhlach who played Gerry in Sana MaulitMuli.

Then there’s Angel Locsin. Angel is a reliable dramatic lead. Who, just like her contemporaries and even others who shone before her, has a misdirected idea of handling her emotive prowess. In here, Angel finally exudes a nuanced and subdued portrayal.”